About a week after leaving Saravela the keen eyes of Jack, the skyfolk lookout of the Polaris, glimpsed an abnormality in the wall of ice. He promptly descended onto the ship’s deck and entered the bridge to tell Captain Smolger about his finding.

“So we have finally arrived,” Captain Smolger commented after hearing the words of the lookout. “Daniel, go inform Mr. Wilkins.”

“Yes, captain!” Daniel, the young sailor hurriedly served Jack a cup of hot tea and left the bridge in search of Ainsley.

Meanwhile, Captain Smolger focused all his attention on navigating close to the three-hundred-foot high wall of ice that stretched from east to west and divided the frigid sea from the seemingly never-ending white plains that extended behind it.

Captain Smolger turned the ship until it faced the wall of ice and gave the order to drop the anchor. Once the Polaris was secured a few hundred feet away from the icy cliff he left the bridge and joined Ainsley on the deck.

“What do you think we are looking at, Mr. Wilkins?” Captain Smolger asked the redheaded young man whose eyes were fixed on the cliff. In front of them a large section of dark ice emerged from the waters and extended almost to the top of the huge wall. The strange stain was at least two hundred feet wide and had a vague oval shape that was cut on it’s base by the grey sea.

“Hmm, I’m not sure.” Ainsley murmured while holding his chin. “It may be cinder from a volcanic eruption, but it’s too localized. Cinder would have formed a layer over a wide area,” he speculated. “Maybe this is the cause of some thermal phenomena. A heated substance melted the ice and left behind a deposit when it cooled. Or perhaps some hydrothermal vents underwater stirred the sediment in the seabed and it filtered here.” The red-haired researcher kept voicing his opinions on the mysterious dark ice.

After murmuring for some time Ainsley finally turned to the captain and asked. “Captain Smolger, can you get the Polaris closer to the ice? I need to gather samples for research.”

“That’s going to be difficult, maneuvering so close to the ice is nothing like docking in a port,” the captain replied. “Could you perhaps make use of a boat to gather those samples?” He suggested.

“That will do,” Ainsley said, focusing once again on the ice.

“Good. Then I will tell the sailors to prepare one immediately,” the captain said turning around. “You should hurry, the weather is about to change.” He added looking at the clouded sky.

Hearing the captain words Ainsley decided to go inside and contact the Institute while the crew prepared the boat. He headed to the radio station under the bridge and greeted Sherman, the radio operator. “Sherman, good afternoon. Can you connect me with the Institute?” He asked without preamble as he stepped inside the cramped room.

The radio operator slightly turned his head to Ainsley with a troubled expression. “I’m sorry Mr. Wilkins, but I don’t think that will be possible.” Sherman flipped a switch and a familiar crackling noise started playing from a speaker. “It’s been like that for a couple hours now.” He explained.

It was the interference. Ainsley cursed under his breath, he had planned to finish this annoying report soon so he could be free to focus on the dark patch of ice. “Well, it doesn’t matter. Sherman, once the interference is over send someone to call me.” He said before leaving the room.

Ainsley had too much on his mind to chatter with the radio operator. With his head still occupied with speculations about the stain of ice he directed his steps towards the deck. There, the sailors had already arranged a boat.

Slade, the burly boatman, was the first to notice Ainsley had come back and caught the attention of the redheaded researcher with a wave of his hand. “Mr. Wilkins! We are ready. Please, tell us when you want to begin.”

Ainsley barely spared the smiling boatman a glance before saying. “Alright, let’s depart.”

The two men descended a ladder attached to the hull of the Polaris and boarded a small boat with two other sailors. After everyone had settled down Slade gave an order and the boatmen started rowing towards the icy cliff.

“That thing sure is impressive, isn’t it Mr. Wilkins?” Slade suddenly commented halfway to the wall of ice, interrupting Ainsley thoughts. “It makes one feel tiny in comparison.”

A bit annoyed, Ainsley answered the sailor with a slight nod of his head.

“Ugh. That thing gives me the creeps. It won’t fall on us, will it?” Another boatman asked with a worried voice.

“It won’t,” Ainsley assured him without taking his eyes off the cliff. In his experience as a geologist, this entire section of the icy wall appeared stable and the dark stain didn’t show signs of being any weaker than its surroundings.

“Paddle over there,” Ainsley pointed after finally determining the best place to take samples. From this distance the dark patch looked as smooth as a block of obsidian and it’s uneven surface reflected the distorted silhouettes of the four men in an eerie way.

Once the boat was next to the cliff Ainsley and Slade took a couple long poles with round metal tips and started striking the ice while the other two sailors struggled against the waves to keep the craft stable.

Soon small bits of the wall came off, Ainsley took one in his hand and examined it with great interest. He then removed one of his gloves and rubbed a small piece of the frozen substance between his thumb and index fingers. The melted ice left behind a dark brown oily liquid. Ainsley smelled it and a pungent scent reached his nose.

“Intriging,” He murmured. If he had to make a guess, the black ice had formed from a submarine oil reservoir that had infiltrated the ice at some point in the past. If that was the case the Institute would no doubt send another expeditions here, oil had become a strategic resource for the Eastbern Empire. Even if they couldn’t extract it yet they would want to at least make an estimate of the size of the deposit.

Ainsley packed all the black ice inside a sack and told the sailors to move the boat. “Go over there. I also need samples from the surrounding ice.”

The boat trip passed without incidents and soon Ainsley was back in the Polaris. After asking Sherman if the interference had gone away and receiving a negative answer the red-haired researcher locked himself in the laboratory and started examining the samples.

“Fascinating!” He exclaimed after the first test. “The oily substance in the ice is not affecting the melting point in the slightlest.”

Ainsley skipped dinner and kept doing tests well into the night. At that point he left for his cabin thinking it was a shame he didn’t have a way to keep the samples frozen until they arrived back in Victoria.

...

Early next morning the wind was blowing from the north, dragging snow particles that were falling onto the Polaris. The white dust made it difficult to scout the waters surrounding the ship, and the freezing gusts soon convinced everyone to stay indoors.

Inside the bridge, Captain Smolger had Jack and two other sailors keep their keen eyes on the sea, on the lookout for any danger that might stealthily approach the ship under the cover of the white flakes.

The captain of the Polaris had a mug of hot tea in his hand. He was taking a sip from the steaming beverage when a clear sound reached his ears and echoed inside the room. Spitting the bitter liquid Smolger looked outside frantically and his eyes soon focused on the imposing wall of bluish ice that stood a few hundred feet in front of the ship.

Then, another clear sound was heard. It was like something enormous was snapping. As time passed the noise kept repeating in shorter and shorter intervals until finally a crack appeared in the icy cliff. All the eyes in the bridge were focused on the ice in disbelief, but none of the sailors reacted.

“It’s collapsing!” Captain Smolger shouted, snapping the rest of the crew out of their bewilderment.

Several vertical fissures opened in the imposing wall, dividing the black stain and its surroundings. For a moment the broken sections of the wall seemed to advance towards the Polaris before plummeting into the frigid sea. The giant blocks of ice fell into the water with big splashes and formed great waves that traveled in the direction of the ship.

“Keep the ship into position!” Captain Smolger shouted seeing the approaching mass of water. “Once the waves calm down we will get out of here before those icebergs can reach us.” He added after noticing the big chunks of ice floating not far away from the vessel.

The enormous mass of water hit the Polaris like a lone raft in the middle of a storm. The force of the impact knocked down all the people on board and sent flying everything that wasn’t bolted to the floor.

...

Ainsley woke up to find his cabin swinging wildly. Before he could react his back painfully hit the wall. The drowsy researcher immediately became alert and clutched the bed to steady himself.

“Damn it! What the hell is happening!” He shouted in panic. Ainsley waited until the movements of the ship seemed to calm down. Then he put on his boots and cape and slowly made his way through the rocking corridors of the Polaris and up to the bridge.

“Captain Smolger! What’s happening?” He asked once he reached the commanding room.

“That damn cliff toppled down! That’s what happened.” Exclaimed Captain Smolger with a disgruntled expression and not a hint of cordiality.

Following his pointed finger Ainsley saw that a big section of the cliff in front of the Polaris was missing. There was no trace of the dark stain in the ice. In its place there were only icebergs surrounded by the grey waters of the sea.

“How long are you gonna take to raise the anchor!” Captain Smolger shouted through a voicepipe.

“We are trying, captain, but this thing is not budging!” An equally annoyed sailor was heard from the voicepipe.

Feeling frustrated by the answer of his crew Smolger turned to Daniel. “Mop boy, go out there and look if there is something stuck on the anchor.”

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“I will do it!” Before Daniel could answer Jack was already opening the door of the bridge. Wrapped in his wide sleeved coat the skyfolk lookout faced the frigid wind that carried particles of snow and ice. He made his way towards the anchor position and looked overboard. After a moments he turned to the bridge and raised his arms, that formed a circle over his head, indicating that everything seemed alright.

“This damned thing!” Captain Smolger cursed again. “Any idea?” He asked the other men inside the bridge.

After a tense silence a sailor answered hesitantly. “Well, we could saw the anchor’s chain… and leave it behind.”

“That’s gonna take too long!” Captain Smolger exclaimed. “Look at those icebergs! They aren’t going to wait for you to break the chain!”

“Hmm, if all you want is to break the chain I might be able to do it using the machine gun.” Hages, the merfolk gunner, answered tentatively.

“Finally someone has a good idea!” Said Captain Smolger, exhaling loudly. “Get to it immediately.” He added in a blunt way.

“Yes, captain!” Answered Hages before disappearing downstairs in search of ammunition.

Meanwhile Jack had come back into the bridge and joined everyone in their nervous wait. All the eyes were fixed on the daunting icebergs that shifted in front of the Polaris. From time to time the masses of ice would collide with each other and change their course in unpredictable ways.

A lot sooner than expected, Hages returned with two sailors in tow and all eyes turned to him. Under their anxious stares the merfolk rubbed the back of his head and explained with an apologetic smile. “I thought the pirates might come back for more, so I made sure to leave the ammo in a more accessible place.” He said pointing at the box being carried by the sailors. Hearing his words a sigh of relief came from the mouths of all present.

Hages hurried out of the bridge and with steady steps he and his two companions made their way towards the bow of the ship. Behind them a trail of footsteps was left on the snow that had been slowly accumulating on the deck. The three sailors soon uncovered the machine gun and charged it with munitions. Hages had already started to rotate the weapon towards the anchor’s chain when a change occurred in the waters in front of the Polaris.

The surface of the sea bent upwards, as if a giant bubble was trying to raise from the depths. The big mass of water shook the Polaris once again and displaced the nearby icebergs away from the ship. Once all the water parted a rocky island of dark gray stone emerged from the sea.

“Mr. Wilkins! What the hell are we witnessing right now!” Captain Smolger asked alarmed.

Ainsley himself didn’t know how to Answer to the captain. It was the first time he had seen something like that. The dark grey island barely protruded from the waters, but its elongated form stretched all the way to the ice cliffs that were now at least five hundred feet away from the Polaris.

Had they been caught in the middle of a volcanic eruption? Ainsley had read that such events could produce solid ground surprisingly quickly. But on a closer look he noticed that the island swayed slightly. The movement was so small he wouldn’t have realized without the fixed point of reference that the wall of ice provided him.

“Uh, it may be pumice. From a volcanic eruption.” The red-haired researcher explained following the thread of his first hypothesis.

“Pumice? What the hell do you mean by that!” Captain Smolger pressed him for a more complete answer.

“Volcanoes can expel pumice, a volcanic rock that it’s so light it can float. In the past masses of pumice have been recorded floating away after a submarine eruption.” Ainsley explained.

“Are you saying that’s a floating rock? And there is a damn volcano under my ship?” Captain Smolger exclaimed exasperated.

“Maybe,” Ainsley muttered. He had certainly read about the phenomenon, but floating pumice was described very differently in his books. It was supposed to be made out of several small rocks, but this long island was at most divided into five or six solid sections.

Captain Smolger left out a grumble and turned to Jack. “Jack, go and tell that bloke to shoot the damn chain already.” He said pointing at Hages that was looking at the emerged island with a dazed expression.

The skyfolk lookout promptly left the bridge, and Ainsley followed behind him. Despite the strangeness of the situation he wanted to take a closer look at the mysterious formation.

“Mr. Wilkins!” Captain Smolger started before the door shut behind the young man. “Argh! To hell with all of you!”

Things had calmed down after the emergence of the island. Ainsley approached the bow of the ship and he wasn’t the only one. Other people had been attracted by the bizarre sight and were voicing his opinions while leaning on the bulwark.

“That has to be an island, I tell you! The ice was pressing down on it before and that’s why it didn't arose until now.”

“Then, wouldn’t we get a reward if we claim it in the name of the Eastbern Empire?”

Ainsley ignored the nonsensical explanations of the sailors and focused his efforts on finding any clue that could shed light on the mysterious floating landmass. Now that he was looking closer the island seemed rather symmetrical.

In the middle of Ainsley’s thoughts Hages shot the machine gun, stunning all the men present and leaving them temporarily deaf. The redheaded researcher covered his ringing ears and saw Hages make a gesture towards the bridge. He had successfully broken the anchor’s chain.

Cursing Hages under his breath, Ainsley turned his attention back on the island, only to find that it was slowly rising. To be more precise, the part closest to the Polaris was rising, while the rest of the landmass disappeared under the waters. With a cold sweat Ainsley finally realized he hadn’t been looking at an island at all as a gigantic eye emerged from the grey waters.

Wait. It was alive? Impossible! The red haired researcher refused to believe that he was looking at a living creature. That thing was wider than the Polaris, and several times larger than it. It didn’t make sense for such an animal to exist. Even in the fossil records there was no trace of such a large beast.

Soon the curious chatter of the sailors turned into screams of terror. Everyone on the bulwark stepped back, some men ran away while others fell down on the deck, too frightened to even stand. At the same time the Polaris began to move backwards. Captain Smolger had started the engine in the few instants between Hages sign and the creature’s emergence.

From his place near the bow Ainsley witnessed the creature’s head reveal its form. It had a triangular shape, with two pairs of eyes that were protected by its protruding upper side, which resembled some kind of flat shell. Under its eyes there was no sign of a nose or a snout, instead all the space was occupied by the enormous jagged line of a mouth.

Ainsley was in a daze. The scene in front of him was surreal. Something inside him wanted to laugh at the impossible creature in front of the ship. Yet, his laughter got stuck in his throat.

It was then that the creature finally noticed the Polaris. The orange eyes that had been looking away without focusing on anything turned to the ship and the slits of their pupils narrowed. The few sailors that hadn’t run away before were spurred by the stare of the creature.

Among them was Slade. The burly sailor knew very well that on a ship in the middle of the sea there was nowhere to run. But there was a way out. The boats! He could take a boat and let the Polaris and the rest of the ship attract the attention of the monster while he rowed away.

In the midst of his desperate escape, the man crashed into Daniel. “Out of the way, mop boy!” He shouted enraged and pushed the young sailor away.

Daniel hit the bulwark of the ship and lost his balance. His terrified eyes looked at the boatman and he stretched out his arms in search of help. But Slade didn’t have time for such trifling things. He didn’t even stay to see the young boy plummet into the frigid waters.

The one who did see the boy fall overboard was Jack. “Daniel!” He shouted as he crossed the deck with quick strides. Halfway through the skyfolk took off his wide-sleeved coat and floated for an instant before diving into the gelid sea behind Daniel.

Inside the bridge, Captain Smolger had seen the emergence of the creature with horror. “Oh God, what have we done!” He lamented before starting to blame the researchers of the Institute for this fateful encounter. “I knew we should have never come here! I felt it in my bones when we reached Saravela!” Then, after the eyes of the monster focused on the Polaris his spiteful words turned to pious prayers. “Oh, God of the Stars, Mother Sea! Please appease that creature and let these poor children of yours see another sunset!”

At the bow of the ship, Hages hadn’t moved from his post at the machine gun. The silver haired merfolk had been looking at the sea monster with a bewildered expression, but he reacted when the monster focused its gaze on the red hull of the vessel. The gunman turned the weapon and carefully aimed at one of the creature’s eyes. For a moment there seemed to be a standstill between the two, but the illusion was broken when the monster slightly raised its head and its eyes turned toward the horizon.

The tense Hages kept himself from pulling the trigger. He wanted to believe that they still had a chance to leave alive. That the monster would return to the depths of the sea the same way he had appeared. The creature seemed calm looking at the southern sky, but then his two smaller eyes turned down towards the ship.

The monster raised its gigantic body and took impulse to plunge into the frigid waters. “Son of a bitch!” Hages cursed at the creature, that was intently trying to sink the Polaris. He fired the machine gun that had been aimed at one of the monster’s right eyes, but the bullets didn’t seem to have any effect on the creature’s movements. With horror Hages witnessed the huge grey body change the day into night as the enormous mass fell onto the ship.

Under the bridge, Sherman, the radio operator, was sitting in the communications room. He had heard from the other sailors that the ice cliff had collapsed, but the protocol dictated that in an emergency he was to remain ready at his post and await for the captain’s orders. His headphones had prevented him from noticing the ensuing commotion and he had passed the time trying to fight the growing noise of the interference. He didn’t knew something was wrong until the cramped room suddenly collapsed under the weight of the monster.

…

Ainsley was floating. Around him there was only a warm and silent darkness. He couldn’t feel his limbs, or his face, or anything. He didn’t know how long he had been like that, nor how much time had passed since the impossibly large sea creature had slammed against the Polaris. Where was he? What had happened to the crew of the ship? What was that thing? Had it come from under the ice? Or was it nesting inside it? If that was the case it wasn’t his fault that the creature had come out, he had only taken a small sample of the dark ice. Even if he hadn’t come here that thing’s nest would have collapsed sooner or later.

With this last thought, the young man's consciousness drifted away towards a deeper place.